The Barista
by Onedayinneverland
Summary: [Ongoing, BoruSara, AU College Years] Boruto promised himself he would visit the coffee shop every day of his life until he gets the courage to tell Sarada how he feels. Or dies, whichever comes first.
1. Espresso

**The Barista**

[Ongoing, BoruSara, AU College Years] Boruto promised himself he would visit the coffee shop every day of his life until he gets the courage to tell Sarada how he feels. Or dies, whichever comes first.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Boruto was lost. He was lost, angry, hungry and wet. Terribly wet.

He pushed his damp hair off his glaring blue eyes and continued his fast pace towards… well, nowhere. He didn't exactly know where he was, all he knew was that he left class about ten minutes ago and ignored the promise of rain on the deep grey sky. His phone had given him no warning of this bullshit weather. By the time it started raining he was too proud to turn back, until he eventually was too wet to continue. Now he was simply looking for shelter.

Boruto spotted a coffee shop at the corner of his eye and ran there, quickly closing the door behind him and removing his drenched navy bomber jacket. His jeans were sticking to him, his white jumper was weighing twice the normal.

He groaned and squished his way to the front till. The place looked quiet; old fashioned yet modern… he guessed it was one of those cool new hipster coffee shops that seemed to be popping up everywhere nowdays.

"Good afternoon," a soft voice called to him.

Boruto turned around and prepared to order a warm bath as a joke until his eyes landed on the dark haired girl looking at him. The ridiculously beautiful barista looked as bored as anyone could get, hand over the buttons and set to take his order.

"What will you be drinking today?" She asked, not even a hint of a smile on her lips; her dark red, full lips.

'Stop staring at her lips, idiot,' he warned himself.

"Uh…," came the very intelligent response from the blond, "what do you have?"

The girl stared at him, her cold gaze changed to a tone of slight concern, "coffee. This is a coffee shop."

Boruto was not listening. He was taking in all these breath taking details - the dark eyes behind her glasses, the light skin, the black hair tied up in a high ponytail, her slim body. Seriously, how is it legally allowed to look this good in black jeans, black shirt and a silly tiny apron?

"Right. Coffee." He repeated with a nod.

The girl nodded back slowly, "any specific kind?"

Her gaze was a mix of genuine concern and deep irritation, which most likely explained her impatient taping on the table as the blond tried to wiz through the many types of coffee written in the board behind her.

He had no idea what he was looking at. Boruto glanced back to the barista every now and then, trying to contain the blush that was creeping up on him. It was quite new for him how hard it was to concentrate while a goddess stares and waits to take your order.

"Expresso." He tried to sound confident; he heard that name before, he was sure of it.

The girl nodded and then said something while he was busy trying to find a name badge on her. She did not have one - Wasn't that a mandatory thing?

When he didn't say anything, the girl simply pointed at the card machine. He nodded and paid his debt. Since he did not move to make space for the costumer behind him, the girl signaled slightly with her head.

"Oh, sorry," the lady behind him smiled as he moved over to the side to await his coffee and continue his creepy staring of this new found beauty.

"Expresso," another girl's voice called out. She had purple hair and a name band: Sumire. Good to see some people still wear those.

"Thank you, Sumire," he read. The girl blushed and Boruto smirked, it was good to get control back.

He took the ridiculously small cup of coffee from the counter and tried to not glare at it as he walked to a random table. How is this miniature so expensive?

Boruto put his stuff down on the chair next to him and sipped his drink distractedly.

"Fuck!" he hissed, slightly louder than expected. He gave an apologetic smile to the guy on the closest table to him that was currently mouthing 'language' in his general direction.

What the hell was that vile drink? Oh, yeah, coffee. He forgot how much he didn't like coffee.

* * *

"Mr. Weirdo is back," Sarada warned her colleague.

The other girl blushed, "I think he looks very nice."

Sarada resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "I bet he thinks the same of you, considering how many times he's returned to the shop."

Boruto wouldn't say he had returned there _that_ many times. It was just conveniently placed (if you didn't consider the fact he had to walk ten minutes and pass about 30 other coffee shops on the way there), cozy and it employed the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. See? Convenient. Although it was becoming expensive to visit a coffee shop five times a week - seven on the week he had to go only to find out she didn't work weekends.

The blond walked to the till and waved at the girls with a smile. Sarada elbowed Sumire, "don't leave your pretty boy waiting."

The purple haired girl eagerly walked to the till.

Sarada studied their interaction. It was impressive how her friend was so easily swayed by a blue-eyed blond boy with a soft smile and a six pack - she was absolutely sure he had a six pack. She could almost bet he was one of those college idiots with a paid sport scholarship. Ugh, jocks.

Another client arrived so pretty-boy had to move over and wait for his coffee that Sarada was currently preparing all while trying very hard not to add some extra water to it or some other poor effort at sabotage.

"So," he started, "don't like the front till much, do you?"

She spared him a glance, then continued to prepare his coffee distractedly, "I don't mind it but-"

"She doesn't deal very well with unrequited advances and flirting," Wasabi interrupted, bringing some extra clean mugs over. She smiled at Boruto and he did the same; he liked Wasabi, she was the one to tell him Sarada's name (that he still had not dared to use).

Sarada smiled at her, "because you are my one and only."

"I know that, babe." Wasabi winked at her. Boruto looked as horrified as he had ever been. Trust him to fall for a lesbian.

"Are you guys a couple?" He blurted out. They both laughed in his face. It just kept getting better.

"Not for lack of trying," Wasabi pointed out.

"I'm getting closer each day to giving up men and just becoming a new-found lesbian." Boruto was not quite sure that was directed at him, but he was convinced Sarada eyed him up and down during that sentence.

"You should have taken up my offer before Namida came along."

Sarada said something Boruto could not quite make out and walked away, giving the cup of coffee to Wasabi who handed it over to him.

"Does she like girls? What did all of that mean?" He whispered to Wasabi, she ruffled his hair.

"It means you better hurry up, blondie," she winked again, "before someone else snatches her."

* * *

Boruto was currently very entertained. It was one of those rare days that Sarada would take the till and shut down the approaches of a surprising number of new comers.

Wasabi was preparing his coffee when a guy was playing with Sarada, moving his hand back and forward before should grab the money he was paying. The girl glared, he dropped his money next to her a quickly walked away.

Boruto and Wasabi chuckled. At this point you have to think only a unique type of moron would dare to mess with Sarada.

Another guy came in and smiled from the door at her. She rolled her eyes and came over to take Boruto's coffee from Wasabi's hand, "please take over before I murder someone."

The guy was still staring. Boruto was glaring daggers at him as he distractedly accepted the coffee, "thank you, Sarada."

Shit. He turned around as quickly as he could, praying she would not notice.

"How do you know my name?" Who was he kidding? Of course she would notice.

Boruto took a deep breath and forced himself to turn around and look at her, a sheepish smile on his face. She did not look impressed.

"I- I asked."

Sarada crossed her arms over her chest, "who?"

"I asked your colleagues. It's rude to see someone everyday and not know their names." He half mumbled, looking anywhere but at her.

She turned around and said nothing.

"My name is Uzumaki Boruto, anyway… uh- I think it's only fair I tell you my name too."

She straightened her glasses, "Sarada Uchiha," she stated, walking away from the conversation.

The Uzumaki was cheering inside his mind.

"What is this guy up to?" Sarada wondered aloud as she watched Sumire drop about the hundredth hint about being single to the blond creep.

Two months had past since he dropped in the shop, the drench mess that he was, and from then onwards he visited every day of the week in the afternoon. He had his randomly chosen coffee that he almost always seemed to flinch while drinking, stayed for about an hour while going through a book or his computer, and then would make his way out with a wave and an eager 'see you tomorrow'.

It was making Sarada more curious each day.

She had discussed her concerns with Wasabi but she just laughed at her and patted her back with some sort of snarky remark about college guys. There was no point discussing it with Sumire.

Today, she decided to investigate. It was a slow day anyway and as soon as Sumire went back in to sort some deliveries, Sarada took the chance to sit next to this Boruto guy.

"May I sit?" She asked bluntly. The guy looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Uh, sure." She sat in front of him with an intriguing look. "What's your deal?" She started, "you come here every day and every day Sumire drops hints she's single and you do nothing."

The blond blinked at her, "Sumire?"

Her head tilted slightly, "she's the reason you come here, right?"

"I- no." He stopped to think about what she said, "you think she likes me?"

Sarada hesitated, maybe she had given too much information. It was too late now, "I thought you knew. Why do you come here every day if you don't have a crush on her?"

"Uh- I like the coffee?" He tried.

Sarada frowned at him, "yes, and I work here because I've always dreamed of being a barista."

"What do you dream of becoming?" He asked kindly. Sarada tried to hide her surprise at the unexpected question.

"I'm studying law. It doesn't come cheap."

"Law?" He grinned excitedly, "what year are you in?"

What is it with this guy? "That's not what we were talking about-"

"I'm doing mechanical engineering." He told her excitedly, "maybe we've never seen each other in college 'cause we have such distant buildings."

"Yes, well," she stopped, "mechanical engineering? And you are doing well?"

He nodded with pride. She blinked, maybe he wasn't as much of an idiot as she thought.

"You thought I'd be doing something else?"

"Yeah, something easier." Sarada was nothing if not honest.

The guy laughed, "well, I'm not just all good looks."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide a hint of a smile, "yes, you are confidence and arrogance as well."

"And about 5% coffee by now." He cheered and drank.

"This still doesn't answer my question."

"What? You don't believe I'm trying to stay awake for my engineering study with an extra expensive coffee a day?"

"No. I really don't."

Boruto smiled softly at her. He looked kind of nice like that, a soft look and an oxford shirt folded to his elbows- wait, what?

Sarada stopped her own thoughts before they could go any further than that.

"I am really just an engineering student that lives in a dorm, spends most of his time with his friends, plays basketball and rarely studies. I happened to find this coffee shop where I can be alone and at peace for an hour a day." He leaned back in his chair, "that is pretty much all there is to it." Well, he did say pretty much so that he could leave room for innocence once she realized the real reason.

Sarada studied his expression for a second but said nothing. After a while she sighed, "I guess you are too loud to be a serial killer, anyway."

He laughed, putting his hands up, "I swear I am not a serial killer."

For the first time ever, Sarada smiled at him. A real smile that made his mind melt and his heart rush.

He cleared his throat, fighting to regain his composure, "so… Sumire has a crush on me, uh?"

Sarada rolled her eyes at him and threw a paper napkin in his face. She stood as he laughed at her exasperation, "you better pretend you don't know before she dies of embarrassment."

He put his hand to his heart, "Me? I know nothing. I'm just a coffee admirer slash serial killer that comes in sometimes."

 _To be continued..._


	2. Latte

**The Barista**

 **Chapter 2 - Latte**

Boruto was loosing count of how many times he's done this routine: oversleep, go to class, have lunch, meet his friends, come to the coffee shop, struggle to fall asleep - acting like an idiotic angst teenager instead of the adult he actually was – by over dreaming about his crush.

It was all very unlike him to not just come out and say it. It had always been easy for him to speak his mind (his father always said keeping him quiet was the problem), but it was different somehow with Sarada. He would walk in the coffee shop, all brave and ready to announce out his feelings, but then-

"Hi." Sarada spoke with a smile.

Then she smiled and all his line of thinking vanished, his neurons nowhere to be found and the rest of his body became anything but helpful in his predicament.

It obviously showed because the girl raised an eyebrow at him, "you do this a lot."

"What?"

"This phase out thing where you stare way past everything."

"No I don't." He blurted out, she pointed at him.

"Just there again. Then you seem nervous once anyone points it out."

"I'm not really nervous," he tried to sound confident, crossing his arms over his chest, "I'm actually a cool, popular guy."

He mentally slapped himself for this. You know what kind of guy says these kinds of things? A douchebag.

"You sound like a douchebag." See? Even Sarada agrees with him.

His shoulders dropped, "I'm sorry. I'm really not."

She smiled, handing him his coffee for time number - well, he didn't know really. What he did know was that for the first time she didn't put the coffee in front of him but actually handed it over - as in, hand in hand. It was all very romantic for someone that had as low expectations as they can get by this stage.

He spent the rest of the day smiling widely. Sarada pretended she didn't notice and tried to hide her own little smile until it caused a small twitch to her face and Wasabi assumed she was having a stroke.

* * *

"Boruto, are you going to come here every day?" Wasabi asked, arms crossed over her chest.

Boruto wasn't really listening. Sarada was doing the cleaning today and that fortuitously included a lot of bending over and sweating. It was very, very hard to concentrate like this.

Wasabi continued, "this is an hour of your daily life. Your friends are going to become suspicious."

The blond nodded vaguely. The girl easily followed his stare to her colleague.

"Clean your drool, we'll be sued if someone slips on it and falls."

Boruto nodded again, not even blinking.

"I'm getting a special flamingo hamburger delivery this afternoon and we'll use it to feed the horses."

He nodded again.

Wasabi rolled her eyes, waving a bored hand in front of his face and snapping her fingers. Not even a blink resulted from that.

She smirked with mischief, "you know, I heard Sarada deals drugs on the fifth street after midnight."

"Hm? Sarada what?"

She laughed, "You're pathetic."

He pouted, "I'm not. She's just… captivating."

Wasabi patted his head, "thank you for reminding me why I'm gay."

* * *

"You made me walk fifteen minutes for this?" Shikadai looked around the shop as he removed his scarf, "you do realize I walked through snow for _this_?"

Boruto tried his best to sound offended, "no one invited you, you followed me here! Besides, this is an excellent coffee shop."

"You don't even like coffee!"

"But I like this coffee! See how great it is?"

Shikadai eyed him with distrust, "there is something here you are not telling me."

Boruto played innocent, "I don't know why you would say that and I don't know why you would insist in coming here with me-"

His friend looked around him; it was a quiet place, spacious, it looked comfortable and warm enough. He guessed for a bit maybe that was enough for Boruto, a space away from his hectic life. This line of thinking disappeared instantly as soon as Shikadai's eyes landed on a slim figure that was currently cleaning the area around the coffee machine. The girl's dark hair was a not-too-neat braid that almost went down to her waist… a very nice waist and- well, let's say it was enough to see her from the back.

The dark haired boy raised a hand, "never mind. It speaks for itself."

Before Boruto could open his mouth, Shikadai walked to the till, expecting to get a better a look at the girl. Sumire was close by and served him instead. The dark haired girl continued her cleaning and did not turn back to look at them, much to Boruto's relief.

"Can you stop staring?" Boruto hissed at his friend as they sat down.

"I can, but I won't," the other young man spoke, sipping his coffee. He stopped mid sip and raised the cup to study it carefully, "this is actually good coffee." He then returned to his staring.

"Shikadai, please," the blond mumbled, "she's gonna notice."

"I've only seen her back, I want to see how are your chances looking from the front."

The other rolled his eyes, "how are they looking from the back?"

"Not great." At that exact time, Sarada turned around to speak to Sumire.

Shikadai looked taken back. Boruto poked his arm, "how are my chances looking now?"

The dark haired boy turned to his friend and grimaced, "worse."

The blond sighed dramatically and buried his face in his hands, "Shika," he spoke, sounding muffled by his hand coverage, "what am I going to do?"

"Keep stalking her daily?" the so-called-friend suggested with a shrug. "Maybe you can find a weakness a black mail her or something."

Boruto gave him an especially bitter look. His friend shrugged, "I don't see any other way this could happen. I mean, you have the looks for it but your personality and your inability to keep a stable relationship are not really working in your favor."

The blond became more and more miserable as Shikadai counted down ways for him to get want he wanted, then gave up surprisingly quickly and turned to ways for him to get over his silly crush.

Sarada pretended not to notice as for over ten minutes Boruto seemed to sink further and further into the table until his forehead was dead against the glass of the tabletop.

"Maybe you need to change your ways," Shikadai continued on minute fifteen, "try blonds for a while. Everyone says blonds are more fun."

"Everyone is wrong," a female voice interrupted. Boruto's head snapped upwards as he immediately recognized it.

Sarada was standing over them, a small smile on her face as she put a desert plate on the table.

"Here's your cupcake."

Boruto's eyes did not leave her. Had she heard anything? Oh my God, had she hear it all?

"I didn't order a cupcake," he said in a whisper.

Sarada shrugged, "you look like you need one."

Both boys watched her walk away, mouths slightly gapping in surprise.

"I'll be dammed," Shikadai started, turning towards his friend with a smirk and patting his back, "you might actually have a chance."

* * *

"What is it with you guys?" Boruto almost shouted in frustration. It was the second time this week a friend had followed him to his favorite place. He either needed to get better survival instincts or a bodyguard.

"Shikadai said I wouldn't believe it and I didn't," Inojin stated bluntly, "I just want to see what all this craziness is about."

"Can't a guy just like coffee?"

Inojin stopped and turned back at him, "a guy can like coffee but not as much as someone would like heroin."

Boruto blinked, "you think I'm on drugs?"

The other blond rolled his eyes, "I think you're obsessed and I want to know why."

"Inojin, please-" Boruto started, planning to go over a list of rules his friend had to abide as not to give his feelings away to everyone at the coffee shop. Before he could speak, Inojin had barged in the shop.

Sarada noticed them both rushing in, Boruto rushing to whisper threats to his friend if he dared to over speak as he was known to do. The girl made her way to the till with an inquisitive expression.

Inojin could have not been smiling any wider; so this was Boruto's heroin.

"Hi. I'm Boruto's friend, Inojin."

Boruto tried his best to disappear behind his friend. Maybe he should have forbidden Shikadai to speak a word of this when he had a chance.

The girl nodded and peaked behind Inojin, spotting the blond who greeted her with a nervous wave.

"Didn't know he had any of those, then you all appear together." She smiled as she said it.

Boruto emerged quickly form his hiding spot, "I told you I had friends," he turned to Inojin, "tell her how popular I usually am."

"I don't think she will believe me if this is all she's seen of you."

Sarada and Inojin laughed together at Boruto's betrayed expression. He kept his expression on as the other two made small talk about _him_ , as if he wasn't even there.

While Sarada got the coffee ready, the dissing continued.

"He's not a bad guy, really," Inojin spoke, "he lives by a simple set of rules: eat everything, sleep everywhere and never go out with the same girl twice unless she's hot."

At the third rule, Sarada turned around. Boruto's face lost all color; that's it. She hates him; all this was for nothing and-

"Good to know we have one rule in common," both guys seemed surprised.

"Which one?" Boruto blurted out.

She smirked, "wouldn't you like to know."

The Uzumaki brooded all the way to their table.

"Thanks for nothing, Inojin," he scolded. The other boy ignored him, keeping his eyes on Sarada behind the counter as she talked to a purple haired girl and glanced at them every now and then.

"You might have a chance."

Boruto's ears perked up like an excited puppy, "you really think so?"

Inojin shrugged, "she might like good looking idiots."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Oh, really? How is the study going for next week's test?"

Boruto tried to keep his dignity, "I still have a week to study."

Inojin shrugged, "yeah, she totally looks like someone that would date a guy that's failing his studies." That was enough prompting to get the Uzumaki to lock himself in his room and study harder than he had ever done in his life.

* * *

Boruto slammed his books down on the coffee table. Enough was enough. He had been very good and kept himself away from Sarada for a whole week of studying. He had promised himself he would be rewarded with as much Sarada-oggling he could get if he managed this, and he did!

He walked fast paced towards the coffee shop as he had only a few minutes left before it closed.

He eagerly walked through the shop's front door and the place was empty, save for a familiar face that was currently putting the mugs back on the cupboard. Boruto's happiness didn't last long as his smile was met with a cold stare.

"Where have you been?" She stated bluntly, before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

"I-uh, I have been studying," he stated as he removed his coat and scarf.

"You have studied here before."

And he managed to study exactly two lines for the three times he tried studying in the same space as Sarada wandered about with her swaying hips, doing her job of occasionally bringing food to tables and other times leaning over to clean spaces like she was paid to do. It was about as counterproductive as studying could get.

"It's my worse subject and I really had to concentrate for it," his smile was innocent as he tried his best to charm his way out of this conundrum.

She shrugged, coming out from behind the counter to tidy up the chairs, "hm, guess you are an idiot."

"I'm not, I just really had to do well in this for you." Boruto grimaced, fighting the urge to slap himself for saying that.

She stopped cleaning to look at him with a raised eyebrow, "for me?"

He hesitated, "uh- yeah, so you don't think I'm an idiot."

"Too late for that."

Silence settled. Boruto looked at the floor with guilt, "I'm sorry I haven't been around."

"It's just been a week," she said with half a shrug, mumbling, "it's just really quiet here without you."

Sarada would never, ever admit it she had said this if anyone was to ask her about it. But it was enough for Boruto to gain (almost) all the courage in the world,

"I'm sorry," he repeated. His mood improved and he stepped closer to her, "let's hug it out!"

Sarada stepped back, putting the towel she was using to dry the table in front of her, "wait, what? No, no, no."

"Come on! I'm a really good hugger," he defended, opening his arms wide.

She eyed him defiantly, "I am not a hugger."

"You don't say," his tone was drenched in sarcasm. "Come heeeere."

"Stay away" She swatted him with the towel.

"One hug. I promise we'll feel better."

She sighed, "one hu-" before she could finish her sentence, his arms enveloped around her.

Sarada could not think straight. His scent took over her, his arms around her, his chest so close she could swear she could hear his heart beat; it was so hard to think. She leaned her head against his shoulder with a whisper, "idiot."

She really felt like an idiot for liking this stranger so much.

 _To be continued..._


	3. Flat White

**The Barista**

 **Chapter 3 - Flat White**

"Finally, you're back! Jesus, I couldn't take one more day of Sarada's sulking. You think she's moody normally? She was impossible this week. It was a week that felt like three years," Wasabi ranted dramatically.

Boruto opened his mouth to reply but the girl was having none of it, "and I thought you cared about us. Do you imagine the mayhem you caused?"

He again attempted to answer but only managed a few words, "I had to study-"

Wasabi turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "I thought you were brainy. You know, because of the science or engineering or whatever."

The boy had the decency to look embarrassed, "well, the class I was failing happens once a week with this professor that comes from God knows where just to teach it and it lasts about four hours," he stopped, as if that explained everything.

Wasabi shrugged; did he think that justified it all?

He rubbed the back of his head and stared at the floor, "it lasts four hours in the afternoon and it starts at 3pm every Monday."

The girl still looked confused, "but you're here every Monday afternoon so how can you- oh," realization dawned. She gasped, "you're failing because you're here? You ass-"

Boruto shushed her, looking around in worry that Sarada might have heard them.

"I'm not failing anymore! The guy is really annoying about people making the time for his class as he 'makes the time for us'," Boruto did his best to sound annoyingly professor-like in the last sentence.

"But no worries, I did so well in the exam I'm sure he'll love me now."

The girl crossed her arms in judgment, "so you don't show up to class, study a week and then it's all good?"

He shrugged, "I'm really good at learning what I hear but in this case I actually had to study because I wasn't there at all. It's the hardest class of this year but with a week of study, I've aced it."

Wasabi nodded sharply. She then picked up the order book that was sitting next to her and slammed Boruto's arm repeatedly with it.

The blond yelped, "what the- what's with you girls and physical abuse of your costumers?"

The girl glared, "maybe if said costumers weren't so cocky and over confident they wouldn't deserve to be beaten up with stationary."

Boruto muffled his laugh, "I thought you wanted to guarantee I was smart enough for Sarada."

The girl put the book down and gave him a knowing look, "you can't use my dedication to my foolishly good looking yet surprisingly single friend against me."

He smiled, "you were the one that said I was the cause of all her sulkiness last week."

Wasabi sighed, "I wouldn't say sulkiness. I'd say more… _angriness_."

"Why did you leave her alone to close if she was that angry?"

"She insisted on it," Wasabi nodded, "I think she was waiting for a certain someone." she shrugged, smiling with mischief, "but who knows."

The blond smiled sweetly. It felt incredible to know Sarada cared for him, even if not as much as he did for her. It did horrible things to his heart to give him this much hope.

"What are you two plotting about?" Sarada asked, coming closer to them. The blond looked at Wasabi, silently begging her not to say anything about their study conversation.

"We were talking about how much you missed him," Wasabi, ever the brave one, spoke. The dark haired girl's face took a pleasant shade of pink, while she flat out ignoring Wasabi's words.

Sarada turned to Boruto, "are you going to order or just chat all day?"

The boy smiled. Her fake annoyance was very amusing.

"A cappucino, please," he tried not to look directly at her face, out of respect, he knew how much she hated not being in control oh her emotions.

She nodded but said nothing until she told him the price, then Boruto could not help himself, "can I pay it with a hug?"

He had to dodge about three flying spoons after that remark but it was _totally_ worth it.

Wasabi prepared his coffee for him while Sarada overall disregarded his existence. The short haired girl turned back a the love-struck idiot leaning over the counter, "you have balls, boy. I'll give you that," they high fived.

* * *

A couple of weeks had passed and little had changed. Boruto managed to sneak two or three hugs in to tease Sarada when she was distracted and they all went surprisingly well.

Sumire found a boyfriend so Wasabi immediately blurted out all the details of Boruto's crush to her so she could become another ally on their team.

"You have to tell her how you feel," they both insisted, over and over again.

By the end of the month, as Boruto still did not have enough courage to ask her out; Sumire demanded he'd stay on the shop until it closed so Sarada and him could be alone. That Sumire girl could be proper intimidating when she wanted.

Boruto stared at the watch as if it were a deadly enemy. There were two minutes left to closing time and Sarada made his way to him,

"I thought you said you couldn't study here," she eyed his computer.

"I can't, but I don't want you to call the SWAT team on me for disappearing another week."

Sarada slapped the back of his head, "smart ass."

He rubbed the back of his head with an over dramatic 'ouch'.

"I'm going to get changed now so I can close the shop," she walked away, "if you're going to sleep here I expect you to pay for whatever you use overnight."

When she came back, Boruto was at loss of words, realizing he had never seen her without a uniform before.

The girl was as beautiful as ever, wearing black over the knee boots, a black skirt and a light grey top. She was holding a grey jacket in her hands and a burgundy scarf and bag.

"Are you coming?"

Boruto blinked as he realized he was staring. He answered with a sharp nod and packed his stuff as quickly as he had ever done in his life.

"Uh-" he started, once he got to the door and Sarada closed it behind them. "Can I walk you home?"

The girl gave him a strange look but she was smiling, "think I'm going to get lost?"

"Well, it's dark and-"

"I'm trained in three different kinds of martial arts," she crossed her arms, "worry more about the other guy."

Currently, he was worrying more about himself and the possibility of getting his ass kicked if he pushed too much.

"I'll keep you company."

She smiled, "aren't you awfully worried about me. I do walk home alone very often, you know? It's one of the best things about living close."

Boruto's head tilted with curiosity, "you don't leave near the university?"

She shrugged, "it's close enough. My roommate's grandparents own the apartment so it's much cheaper."

The blond nodded. "I live with a childhood friend, Mitsuki. I used to live with Shikadai but he slept most of the time, it was pretty much like living alone until I dragged him out of that room."

"He was the guy that came to the shop a while ago, right? He likes to stare."

Boruto laughed awkwardly, maybe it would be a good time to tell her that Shikadai was trying to assess if she would ever spare him more than a glance.

"Why are you following me?" She asked. Boruto looked around; he didn't realize he was following her at all, the conversation just had a good flow and he kept walking.

"I didn't realize I was. Sorry," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

She shook her head and continued walking; Boruto took that as a cue to continue. They arrived at her apartment about five minutes later.

"You live really close."

"Told you I did."

Sarada turned to say goodbye but realized she didn't know exactly how to; they were not exactly friends, but you don't let a costumer home with you either. They were not colleagues or strangers so, an acquaintance maybe? How do you say goodbye to those?

Boruto looked anywhere but at her. Was it a good time to let her know he liked her? 'Hi, I know I just found out where you live and we are alone here at night so I think it's a great time to make some advances on you despite you giving me no sign you actually want this'. He would end up dead in a ditch and with good reason.

Thankfully, Boruto's stomach decided to break the silence with some startlingly loud growling.

The couple turned at the same time to look at his belly.

Sarada chuckled, "hungry?"

"I guess so," he presumed one more embarrassing moment really wouldn't make that much of a difference on her opinion of him.

"Do you want to come in?" She offered. At his staggered expression she quickly added, "to have something to eat."

He grinned, nodding vehemently.

Sarada tried to disguise her smile, turning around to open the door for them. Boruto followed her up the stairs and into her studio, all the time struggling to contain his heart, bursting with happiness that he was invited to such a place as her home.

Sarada's house was neatly organized as he expected. Everything was clean and the décor was mostly done in light colors. She had a very comfy sofa as well.

He continued to explore while Sarada took some food out of the fridge to prepare dinner.

"Are you done exploring?"

He had the decency to look embarrassed, "it's a really nice place."

"It's small. I never had anyone take such a long time exploring it as you did. It's usually a five second look around."

He shrugged, "I like to take in the details." He observed as she prepared some vegetables, "can I help?"

She gave him a look, "how good is your cooking?"

He shrugged, "good enough to keep me alive."

Sarada pointed at the sofa, "maybe just watch TV."

Boruto did as he was told until he was bored. There wasn't that much on TV and, besides, it was much more interesting to see her cook.

He sneaked around to the kitchen and watched quietly. Sarada stopped humming a song she had stuck on her head to look at him, "it's really hard to focus with you spying over my shoulder."

He ignored it, "what's that?" He was pointing at some tiny green leaves she was adding to the food.

"Oregano."

Her answer came too late, the blond was already trying it, "oh yeah, I know the taste."

Sarada raised an eyebrow at his strange antics, "how often do you cook?"

The young man shrugged, "hm, I'm more used to leeching off my mom's cooking. I live on ramen." One of the many similarities to Naruto that he refused to acknowledge he had.

She shook her head, "oh, good thing you told me that half way through my cooking and not a minute before."

"Are you cooking italian ramen?" He asked excitedly.

"No. My mom's not the greatest cook so I learned to cook for her. She loves it all but seems to be a bit tired of ramen, so I don't cook it much."

He gave her a playful smile, "she's your mom. I'll be a fair judge of your food."

Sarada pretended to be offended, "I didn't realize it was a contest."

"If you're as good at this as making coffee, you'll be fine."

She snorted while distractedly continuing to cook, "you hate coffee."

It was his turn to sound offended, "I've told you I don't."

"Yeah, you obviously do."

They stared at each other challengingly. Boruto easily gave up, "so... what's this?"

He pointed at some other condiment. Sarada laughed, "oh my, you're really bad at this."

"I can't be good at everything. We wouldn't want all you girls falling for me."

Boruto went quiet as soon as he realized what he had said. Damn it. His self-control couldn't be any worse if he tried.

Sarada cleared her throat, playfully patting his back, "I don't think that'd be much for you to worry about."

"That really hurts," the blond placed a hand over his heart, overdramatically. "I'll let you know that-"

"You're really popular. Yes, I know. You've told me that about a million times already."

"Well," he tried to defend himself, "you never seem to believe me."

"A sweet smiling blond with piercing blue eyes and a body of someone that spends a considerable amount of time exercising," she said it in a fake bored tone, pretending to continue cooking without looking at him, "I don't need you to tell me you're popular, it's obvious."

The annoyed tone of voice flew completely past Boruto, "you think I'm sweet?"

Sarada ignored his question, "time to eat."

Boruto set the table as she served the food. He looked distractedly at a collection of frames that showed a baby that he assumed was Sarada, a couple of family pictures with her mom and a single picture of an extremely good looking young man that Boruto was currently glaring at.

"Who's that?" He asked, pointing at the guy's picture, "your boyfriend?" He tried to sound teasing but he actually sounded annoyed. There was so much more he wanted to ask: 'why is he so handsome?', 'why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend even though I never asked?' and 'wouldn't you rather have a blond?'.

Sarada came out holding the food and looked at the picture he was pointing at. Her face contorted instantly, "that's my dad, you idiot."

Boruto blinked, "why is he so young?"

She rolled her eyes, "he is actually about 32 in that picture. My mom put it there because it's her favorite picture of him and she wants to know how she, and I quote, 'married such a handsome man'."

Boruto looked at Sarada and then back at her dad's photo.

"You know, looking at him it actually explains a lot."

She sat down, "what do you mean?"

Shit. Well, nothing to loose now, "I mean like- how you're so… beautiful."

Sarada immediately grabbed her glass of water and tried not to choke. Boruto ran to her aid, "are you okay?"

She waved him off, "yes, I'm fine. Just shut up and eat."

Boruto found her lack of capacity to deal with a direct compliment very interesting. Maybe he found a weakness.

They ate together, Boruto complementing her cooking skills and Sarada warning him to 'shut up and just eat' multiple times.

When they were finished, the blond insisted he wanted to help with the dishes and only almost broke two glasses before Sarada kicked him out.

"I'm sorry," he whined.

"You would be if you had actually broken anything," she threw his scarf at his face.

He laughed, "I'm not very good at house keeping."

Sarada raised an eyebrow, "you need more practice then."

He nodded in agreement while putting his scarf on.

Boruto smiled at her and turned to walk away, "Thank you for everything. Bye, beautiful lady." He waved, enjoying Sarada's annoyed look from a distance.

She huffed, turning around to close the door as she whispered, "not so bad yourself."

 _To be continued..._


	4. Iced Coffee

**The Barista**

 **Chapter 4 - Iced Coffee**

"So? Tell me everything!" Sumire dragged Boruto down to a table before he had a chance to order. Wasabi pouted from behind the counter where she was serving a client, she wanted to know the news about yesterday's dinner too. Sarada was preparing the coffees and deemed herself too busy to share any details other than they've eaten together. Shame on her.

Boruto laughed as he sat down, "what would you like to know?"

Sumire gave him an annoyed look, "everything!" she was clearly spending too much time with the other two girls.

"There is-" Boruto's words were cut short as someone called out his name from the door. He turned to find Inojin standing there, slightly out of breath. The light haired boy walked towards the table and sat down.

The Uzumaki gave him a questioning look, "did you follow me here to laugh at me again? I'll let you now that I went-"

Inojin raised a silencing hand as he mumbled under his breath something about needing to fit some exercise into his daily routine.

"Your dad," Inojin started, gaining immediate attention from Boruto, "he was at the dorm looking for you."´

"He was indeed," a voice spoke from behind them. Sumire yelped in surprise, the other two boys turned to Mitsuki, all too used to his lurking ways. "Why did you run here?" the boy continued speaking, turning towards Inojin.

"The question is more how did you follow me _walking_ and still arrived only about ten seconds after I did."

Mitsuki shrugged, "you are not very athletic and I saw you stopping about four times on the way here to catch you breath."

Inojin looked insulted, Mitsuki did not care, "Boruto, your father asked me to give you a message."

Boruto nodded, his friend continued with the best imitation of Naruto's voice he could muster, "tell that boy to answer his damn phone."

The blond rolled his eyes and took his phone from his pocket; a black screen faced him. So what if he was way too excited about last night to even think about putting his phone on charge over night? Why did it have to coincide with the first time in about two weeks that his dad actually called him? It was not that Naruto did not care about his son, it is more that the said son used to ignore his phone calls so often the poor man gave up and turned to texting instead, which was great; now Boruto could ignore his phone calls AND his texts.

Boruto's mood turned dark, "what does the old man want?"

Inojin raised an eyebrow, "I thought you'd be happy. You haven't seen him in ages."

"Six months and two days," he shrugged, "who's counting?"

An awkward silence settled in. Sumire took that cue to stand and go back to work quietly.

"So this is where you waste your time," Mitsuki looked around, "

"Mitsuki, I'm not wasting my time."

Inojin nodded in agreement, "he's looking for the balls he lost the first time he laid eyes on the barista."

Boruto glared at him, "mine might be lost but I'm sure yours are in my sisters pocket."

"Are you guys going to order anything?" Sarada interrupted, approaching the group.

"I apologize. My friends are just discussing the ownership of their intimates," Mitsuki explained helpfully.

The two blonds gave him a clear ' _dude_ ', indignant stare.

Sarada nodded once, "sounds like the kind of conversation Boruto would be having."

Mitsuki smiled, "are you Sarada?"

The black haired girl looked surprised but nodded.

"You are just as beautiful as Boruto said."

Silence settled in again. Inojin did his best to muffle his laugh; Boruto looked at the floor, begging to god the damn thing would just open and swallow him whole. Why could he not have normal friends? Normal friends that mind their own business and have some kind of social behavior awareness.

Sarada looked at Boruto, "are you selling me out to your friends?"

Boruto gapped at her for a few seconds. He honestly had no idea what to tell her, his brain had short-circuited a few seconds ago once his best friend decided to lay out the truth for him.

"Very much the contrary," Mitsuki continued smiling, Sarada looked at him strangely.

"Anyway…" the girl tried to change the subject, "are you guys buying or leaving?"

"Probably leaving. Boruto's dad is in town so I'm assuming he'll need something stronger than coffee," Inojin informed helpfully, patting his friend's back.

"Not happy to see your dad?" Sarada asked.

"Let's just say there are strippers out there with less daddy issues than Boruto," Inojin fake whispered with a wink.

Boruto ignored him and looked blankly at his phone again, "maybe I shouldn't charge this ever again."

The blond's brooding was quickly interrupted by a small 'hiss, hiss' – Mitsuki's well known ring tone.

"Oh, your dad texted me," Mitsuki announced, handing him his phone. Clearly the not-charging plan would not work after all, his dad knew him too well.

Boruto read through the message. Sarada studied his disinterested stare and slumped shoulders; this was definitely a new side to him.

"Guess we're having dinner tonight," he mumbled under his breath, "if he bothers to show up."

Boruto took a deep breath and stood, dragging his belongings with him. Mitsuki and Inojin exchanged knowing looks before walking to the door before him.

As Boruto was making his way out he smiled at Sarada but said nothing. He walked towards the exit until a light tug of his hand stopped in his tracks. The blond turned back as Sarada raised his hand, scribbling something down on it with her pen.

"Charge your phone," she said with a smile before walking off. Boruto stared at the number in his hand in neat writing.

Boruto smiled; he felt happy to know this side of Sarada. The side that was gentle and kind, the side she didn't like showing him often. A side he liked to think he saw more of than most people in her life. He walked away thinking Sarada's number was decidedly worth a dinner with his dad.

* * *

Shikadai walked in Boruto and Mitsuki's room without knocking as he always did. He looked around to see Boruto twirling and turning around in front of the mirror like a maniac fairy in a suit.

He eyed his friend curiously, "what are you wearing?"

"My clothes," Boruto answered but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Shikadai turned his attention to Mitsuki who was sitting on his bed, watching Boruto with a curious expression. It was like an alien studying human behavior.

Shikadai stepped forward and looked at the tag hanging from the jacket, "why are they worth more than my car?"

"Ah, you found it! Boruto pulled the tag, "thank you."

Shikadai stared continuously, the blond rolled his eyes, "this is what happens when your dad is a politician and your mom wants you to wear proper suits to go be his pet dog at important events."

The dark haired boy chuckled, "is that why it still has a tag?"

"It has a tag because I'm not going to parade for him," he answered bitterly.

Shikadai rolled his eyes; Boruto, ever the rebel boy that can't share his daddy's attention with the world.

"Isn't a suit a little too much for dinner with your dad?"

The blond shrugged, "Sarada said I can't just wear anything to the most expensive restaurant in town."

Shikadai looked around in surprise, in case he missed a slim brunette hiding somewhere, "she's been here?"

"No, but we've been texting a bit and she said I had to cause an impression."

The dark haired boy turned to Mitsuki, "fascinating how women control our lives even before they date us."

"I asked her for advice," Boruto explained, "the last few times haven't gone so well."

"You mean the last few times your dad actually showed up and your dinners went to shit was because you were not well dressed?" Shikadai asked, having trouble hiding his own frustration at his friend's father. Naruto was a great dad, his children were beautifully raised but after he became a politician he seem to have less and less time for them. He was still an admirable man, dedicated to his job and his people, he just seemed to always put the needs of the many before his own.

"He is a busy man and things do seem to fall apart every time he leaves his office," Mitsuki intruded with the best intent.

Boruto rolled his eyes, "I know you're trying to make me feel better, Mitsuki, but I know my dad," he straightened his tie and did not take his eyes off the mirror, "I'm doing my share, I'm dressing up the part. Time for him to do his."

* * *

Boruto replayed this conversation over and over in his mind as he read the card at the table his dad had booked at the restaurant,

 _'Dear Boruto, I'm sorry but an emergency has come up. Please eat what you like, the table is booked for the night and the staff knows to put it all on my card. I hope to see you soon. Dad.'_

The young man put the card back on the table and walked away from the restaurant.

It was drizzling and Boruto was tired. He felt exhausted, really; but for some reason he found himself walking further away from his home and closer to Sarada's. He walked to the bell and hesitated; it was getting late and she was probably resting (or, God help him, studying), he shouldn't be bothering her at this time. So he didn't; the blond sat on some nearby steps, protected from the rain and waited for a while.

"Boruto?" He heard a gentle voice call out to him about twenty minutes later, "what are you doing here?"

"You know, just chillin'" he smiled sadly but did not look at her. She walked closer to him; it didn't take long for her to figure it out.

"Your dad didn't show up again, did he?"

Boruto nodded sharply, staring at the floor. He felt a hand over his shoulder, "look at me," the girl spoke, "what happened?"

Boruto hesitated for a few seconds then looked up at her. Sarada had a long jacket with a hoodie over her head to protect her from the drizzle. Even in the darkness she looked beautiful.

"Are you wearing makeup?" He tried to tease to change the subject.

She chuckled, "I was going out for a friend's birthday but then found this man in a suit hanging around my apartment like a formal delinquent."

He immediately looked apologetic, "I am sorry, I really don't know why I came here. I was going home and-"

She stopped him with a shoulder squeeze, "let's go," he felt an arm tug that he gently followed.

"Where are we going?"

"You are taking me out to eat. I'm hungry."

She wasn't really, but if he had skipped dinner he surely would be. She had seen him devour enough cakes before to know he's a good eater.

Sarada walked, Boruto followed; it was a very nice view indeed. They stopped by the weirdest burger place that Boruto had seen in a while.

"I think that if I go in there I'll wake up in a tub without my kidney."

Sarada shrugged, "only need one anyway."

"I feel that this is not a proper place to take a lady out."

The girl turned to face him, "if you're paying, I'll choose somewhere better."

He could trace her face much easier now, with the shops' neon lights enlightening every shadow. Sarada looked different with her glasses off and wearing red lipstick. So different and still exactly the same... the same smile, the same kind eyes, the same lips but redder, making them look fuller and even more irresistible than usual. It was so hard to stay away from those lips right now.

"Boruto," Sarada called, interrupting his trance, "answer my question."

He blinked, returning to reality, "sorry, what did you ask?"

"Where do you want to eat?"

Boruto smirked and a few minutes after that they were standing before the most expensive restaurant in the area.

Sarada gave him a preoccupied look, "when I said take me out to eat I didn't mean to a place where they demand reservations before hand."

The blond shrugged and grinned, "well, daddy left me standing so we are going out on his reservation and with his money."

She gave him a look, "very mature."

Boruto walked in front of her, taking her hand and guiding her inside the restaurant. The girl studied their hands together for a few seconds but then forced herself to look away and think of something else. _Anything_ else.

The waiter welcomed them and asked to take their coats. Sarada removed her coat, revealing a beautiful black dress with long sleeves and a deep cleavage that she did her best to adjust. Boruto was stunned; it most certainly showed in his face as the guy taking their coats whispered "first date?"

Boruto gave him a vacant nod and follow Sarada to the table. She did her best to ignore his staring for a couple of minutes until she grew irritated.

"Can you stop staring so I can concentrate?"

Can you stop looking so beautiful so _I_ can concentrate? Boruto considered asking but then decided he liked living so he just nodded… and then continued staring.

Sarada rubbed her temple, "look, I know this is a bit too much of a dress but it's my friend's birthday and I thought it would be nice to wear something she gave me and that I had flat out refused to wear until today," she paused with a sigh, "clearly for a good reason."

The blond nodded, "your friend has great taste."

She snorted, "that's debatable."

"You look beautiful," the girl raised the menu higher to hide her face.

"I've told you, it's the dress," she stated in a hurried sentence.

"It's not the dress. You would look beautiful without the dress," he stopped abruptly, realizing what that sounded like. It's not that it did not sound like the exact truth of his thoughts, it's just that maybe there was too much truth for what Sarada was prepared to handle.

The girl chuckled, "you do realize what that sounds like, don't you?"

He smirked, "you dirty minded person, I said nothing except what I see."

Sarada gave him a look that clearly informed him she was not an idiot and there was nothing innocent about what he said.

Boruto kept his ground, "I'm telling you, it was an innocent compliment."

She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the menu, "there is nothing innocent about you, Uzumaki Boruto."

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A.N: Hello my wonderful readers! ^^

Thank you for keeping up with my story. I would like to ask your opinion about what is going to happen in future chapters. We have two options:

1\. I can stick with the fluff, sweet PG-13 stuff with mild coarse language and mostly kissing/hugging;

2\. Slightly more mature vibe, nothing terribly explicit but more adult themed.

Please let me know in your reviews/messaging. Have a great day! ^^


	5. Machiatto

**The Barista**

 **Chapter 5 - Machiatto**

Boruto fought the urge to ravage his food once the waiter delivered it to them. He was absolutely starving. It was all well and good that he was having dinner with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen but God was he hungry.

He watched Sarada and waited for her to start eating, like a gentleman would (these were obviously his mother's words echoing in his brain).

Sarada picked up her fork and kind of slowly went to get her knife. She watched Boruto follow her slow movements and laughed, "aren't you well trained."

"Sorry, what?" He distractingly asked, tearing his eyes from the food to his muse.

"It's obvious you're starving, but you're still doing very well and waiting like a true gentleman."

He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to drown out the noise of his grumbling stomach, "I _am_ a gentleman."

He was about to roll out a speech about how much of a gentleman he was when Sarada started eating. At that point the blond forgot about any previous debates and shoved food in his mouth as if it would disappear if he didn't engulf it fast enough.

Sarada grinned, "I can see that."

"A starving gentleman, but still a gentleman," he offered in between bites.

They continued to eat but were interrupted a couple of times by Sarada's phone. She took it out both times, read something, replied quickly and returned the phone to her bag. The third time Sarada just rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear it.

"Your phone is buzzing," Boruto pointed out, mostly out of curiosity about those messages.

Sarada waved him off, "ignore it."

"It might be another friend in need," he said it in a playful tone, wiggling his eyebrows.

She sighed, taking the phone from her bag, "It's my friend Chocho. She's asking where I am."

He shrugged, "tell her."

"I've told her where I am, she just doesn't believe me."

He tilted his head slightly, "why not?"

Sarada blushed discreetly, "she thinks I'm lying because I couldn't possibly be out with a guy."

She bites her lip timidly and Boruto can't help but want to kiss those lips, to wrap her in his arms and hold her close and- he stopped himself before this line of thinking progressed to anything else.

Either his expression gave away something or it was his intense gaze that made Sarada squirm in her seat.

He tried to lighten the mood, "tell her I'm your super needy new gay friend."

Sarada smiled distractedly as she tapped away on her phone screen, "well, some of that is true."

Boruto looked perplexed, "I'm hoping it's the friend part."

She snorted, "obviously, it is not the super gay part."

"And how do you know that?" Internally, Boruto was sweating. What if she had noticed him staring? I mean, how could she not notice him staring? He did that all the time! Still, no need to point it out so clearly. But, what if she saw him staring at her dress? Or better yet, staring at everything her dress was conveniently not completely covering, such as her-

"Boruto, my eyes are up here."

His blue eyes shot up from her cleavage to her face in less than a second. Her expression was not impressed but still not as angry as Boruto expected to find her.

"I was not staring at those- I mean, that," he tried to defend himself, arms aimlessly flapping around, eventually landing over his face, "you know what I mean."

Sarada laughed; she laughed for about three seconds, which was the most Boruto had ever seen laugh for and he was mesmerized. She was stunning; just making her happy made him feel ridiculously proud of himself.

Her eyes shone as she looked at him, a playful smile on her lips, "that was the weirdest way to prove you are not gay."

The blond stared at the table, feeling shy. This whole 'shy' thing was a full new concept for him and he was not enjoying it at all.

"I need a drink," he mumbled out loud.

She agreed, "let's go."

The longhaired girl stood, Boruto broke his trance and followed, trying his best to regain concentration and act confident instead of whatever his current self was doing. Really, what was wrong with him? How can one girl make him loose his cool and act like a preteen all over again? God knows those years were embarrassing enough by themselves, he surely did not need a reminder.

She suddenly turned back to him, "what are your thoughts on nightclubs?"

He tilted his head slightly "what, in general?"

"I mean, going to one right now."

"Oh, sure," he shrugged.

Sarada explained, "it's Chocho's birthday and she's at the Silver Nightclub. I'm really not into nightclubs but-"

"Hey, I need a drink. You might as well watch me get drunk and laugh when I fall over."

The long haired girl gave him a look that stated clearly that was not exactly what she had in mind.

He smiled, leaning dangerously close to her face, "don't worry, I'll keep you entertained."

Sarada answered with a curt nod, turning back swiftly to hide her warming face.

And just like that, old confident Boruto was back.

* * *

From the moment they left the restaurant to about fifteen minutes later when they reached the nightclub, Sarada's phone signaled about twenty new messages. At first, Sarada seemed to find it funny, now she just looked annoyed.

Boruto watched the girl as she took the phone out of her bag, rush read through the messages, rolled her eyes and turned the phone off.

"Chocho?" He asked.

She nodded, "Chocho."

Sarada turned to him with an apologetic look, "Boruto, I'm not sure this will be the greatest idea," she paused with a sigh, "Chocho is my best friend but she does go over the top when it comes to… well, my life in general."

The young man stared at her with a blank expression, hands still in his pockets, but said nothing.

She continued, "it's getting late and there's a huge line and I'm not that keen on clubs anyway so-"

"We are going in," he flat out stated. Sarada opened her mouth to protest but Boruto beat her to it, "I had a shit night, I got over dressed for nothing, dumped by my own father, left starving for ages. You said it yourself, I need a drink."

The longhaired girl stood silently for a few seconds, fighting to find a good reply to all of that. She settled for the worse one, "but- but there's a line."

Boruto smirked, "are you serious? Have you looked at yourself?"

She blinked at him, "what is that supposed to mean?"

He rolled his eyes playfully, "well, that's it. Coat off, off!"

She slapped his hands away weakly as he tried to pry the coat off her shoulders, "but it's cold-"

"Off!"

Sarada narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion but did as she was told. Boruto took her coat and guided her to the entrance.

"I don't like skipping lines."

He looked back at her, "do you prefer to stand in the cold?"

"I prefer to sit at home."

The blond gave her a confident smile, "big smile, rock that dress and we'll be in there in about a minute."

Sarada tried to glare at him and his stupid wonderful smile but failed miserably, so she gave up and half nodded at his words.

When they reached the bouncer, Boruto lightly tapped his shoulder, then quickly stood behind Sarada as be brought her forward. The bouncer looked her up and down for a second and then moved out of the way for them to pass while Boruto excitedly informed him he was with Sarada, ignoring the groans and complaints of the crowd behind them.

Once they were in, the blond tapped her back, "see? That was easy!"

She rolled her eyes, "oh yes, I love using my body to get away with things."

He blinked, the idiotic Uzumaki gene playing up, "do you?"

"No, idiot."

By the stage they managed to get rid of their coats and actually find Chocho, about twenty minutes had past. Which must have been why the big girl looked so happy to see them because she managed to shout Sarada's name over the sound of the loud music. That girl had quite a set of lungs.

"Sarada!"

Said girl turned immediately towards the voice, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness and the ever-changing lights,

"Chocho, happy birth-" she started but her words were cut short by Chocho's over enthusiastic hug.

"Finally, Sarada! For once you say yes to going out and-" Chocho stopped abruptly, turning her attention to the blond man standing behind her friend and stepping towards him, "what the- he's real?"

Boruto extended his hand to greet her. Chocho took it, the most surprised look on her face.

"Hi, I'm-" Boruto started but was swiftly stopped.

"Sarada," Chocho interrupted, not letting go of the handshake, "how the fuck did you forget to mention you were dating Adonis?"

It was hard to tell in the darkness who was blushing harder.

Sarada immediately stopped the handshake, "we are not dating," this was exactly the type of conversation she was trying to avoid.

The olive skin girl stared at her friend in outrage, "are you blind?" she then turned to Boruto, "are you gay?"

"No, but that topic has come up a surprising amount of times today." Boruto was beginning to understand why Sarada was hesitant to bring him anywhere near Chocho; talk about filter-free.

Chocho was preparing her next line of questioning when Iwabee ran past her to pick up Sarada and lift her off the floor, followed by a dancing Metal Lee and a quiet Denki.

"My baby!" he shouted excitedly, ignoring Sarada's groans, "you've finally came to a nightclub with us!"

Halfway through his unnecessarily tight hug, Iwabee noticed Boruto giving him a death stare, "do you want to introduce the angry blond man behind you?"

Sarada pried herself off his hug and turned to Boruto, "can you please get us a drink – any drink – while I teach my friends how to act in public?"

It took the blond about three seconds and a 'please' from Sarada for him to actually turn around and stop glaring at that idiotic turban guy that has still standing dangerously close to Sarada.

Denki cleared his throat to interrupt the awkward silence between his friends as Boruto walked away, "he seems nice."

Sarada rubbed her temple, "I should have never brought him here."

Chocho huffed, "I don't know why you are saying that, we make great first impressions."

Her friend blinked, "I know you don't mean that as sarcasm but it sure feels like it."

"Can I ask," Metal Lee started, "have you guys-"

"No!" Sarada interrupted, "whatever the question is the answer is no. We have not done anything and we are not anything and I need you guys to just let us be nothing," she rambled on.

One look at her friends and their fake nods and she was absolutely sure none of them believed her.

"One piece of advice?" Chocho offered with an innocent shrug.

Sarada sighed and she took that as a cue to continue, "you know what's thing with bringing blond cuties to the club?" Chocho smirked, throwing an arm around her friend.

Sarada decided to entertain her, "what?"

The other girl pointed to the bar where Boruto was sitting and a girl had already joined him, "you can't leave them alone anywhere."

Sarada pretended not to be interested, "I'm sure the famous Uzumaki Boruto will find a way to defend himself."

Chocho's smile disappeared instantly, "Uzumaki Boruto?"

Sarada gave her a look, "I'm sorry, I meant to say Adonis."

The other girl grabbed her shoulders, an urgent look on her face, "that guy is Boruto? Do you know who he is?"

Sarada looked at the other three guys for answers. They half shrugged in unison, not quite sure what Chocho was talking about.

The dark hair girl tried ignoring the tug at her chest, "an engineering student who pretends to like coffee?" she paused, her eyes full of questions, "you're freaking me out, Chocho, what's happening?"

Chocho let go of her shoulders, dramatically lifting her arms at the sky, "of all the people in the world that could get your attention you chose him?"

Iwabee crossed his arms, bored at all this drama, "are you going to be more specific or what?"

Sarada smiled at her friend, trying very hard not to rush into dark conclusions, "Chocho, I don't understand what you're on about. He's a nice guy and we get along fine-

The hands were back on her shoulders, "Sarada, you know you are my pride and joy and I would literally - and I mean literally - kill for you to find a guy that would pop your cherry,"

Sarada rubbed her temple for what it felt like that hundredth time that evening, "Chocho, can you please stop framing it like that-"

The bigger girl rambled on, "I mean look at you: you're beautiful, smart, kind and best friends with me! What else can someone wish for? I mean sure you can be bossy and-"

It was Denki's time to interrupt, "can we please get back on topic?"

"This guy-" Chocho pointed at the bar at the distance where Boruto was currently busy edging away from a flirting girl, "-is trouble. He's known for his looks, flirting and rocky relationships all over campus," she paused with a sad sigh, "he's gonna play with your heart and then just dump you like he does with everyone else."

The conclusion was heartbreaking and Sarada's friends had no trouble noticing the disappointment in her eyes. This was how Chocho was, why they were friends; she was real and honest… sometimes too honest. She glanced at the blond sitting at the bar and wondered if he really could be that good of a liar. It was hard to think that guy was anything other than a kind idiot that wastes too much time at a coffee shop for reasons that Sarada understands too well but fights constantly with herself about admitting it. His smiles flashed before her eyes many times and it was hard to deny how much better her days had become since he had come into her life.

She smiled sadly at Chocho, "there is nothing to worry about. He's never said or done anything to make me think he's interested on nothing else but friendship. I guess I should be thankful for that."

The other girl nodded, feeling like she should have waited and considered her friend's own feelings before bombarding her with details about Boruto's life. It seemed like Sarada was more hurt about him not seeming interested than by the possibility he could break her heart.

They watched as the unknown girl edged closer and closer to him; Boruto was holding the prepared drinks and saying something they could not quite make out, looking as uncomfortable as a human being could possibly look.

Sarada sighed, "well, player or not he sure looks like he needs saving right now," she turned back to Chocho, "I'll keep everything you said in mind, but I'm sorry," she paused with a sad smile, "I just can't hate him."

Chocho smirked as her friend walked off, confident as if their conversation had never taken place; if there was anyone that could turn a player into a saint, it would definitely be Sarada.

* * *

Boruto had had better nights. This girl was persistent and he was running out of ways to politely send her away.

"Hey stranger," a familiar voice called, much more huskier than he knew it to be, "want to dance?"

Boruto turned to find Sarada leaning slightly over the bar. Her dress sparkled at is it reflected the lights in the club, her hair was neatly to one side, exposing her delicate neck on the other, her cleavage revealed just enough to keep him distracted from anything else.

She was smiling sweetly but at the same confidently; it's like she knew perfectly well what she was doing to his mind and body. Still, something felt different, sadder maybe.

Boruto cleared his throat to end his staring, "sure, let's dance."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

A.N: Thank you guys for voting! Option 2 it is. We will ease into it, don't worry ^^


	6. Affogato

**The Barista**

 **Chapter 6 - Affogato**

Sarada took her drink and guided Boruto back to the crew that received him with a dubious look.

"Have I missed something?" The blond asked Sarada in a whisper, genuinely considering how much he would have to drink to start enjoying the company of her friends.

The girl gave him an apologetic smile, "my friends have a few trust issues".

Boruto narrowed his eyes, "understatement of the year."

"What are your exact intentions here?" Iwabee rushed forward, a fearless hothead unable to hold his distrust back any longer.

Boruto glared, "what are yours?"

Sarada swiftly interrupted the 'my dick is bigger than yours' contest by standing in between them.

"Do you want to introduce each other like normal people instead of threatening grunting cavemen?"

Her statement didn't have as much of a desired effect as she expected.

Iwabee's eyes did not once leave Boruto's, whose stare on occasion wandered off to look at Sarada and ponder how much grief she would give him for this. Still, he needed to find out exactly what this turban idiot was playing at; how dare him act over friendly with Sarada – this despite the annoying voice in his mind that kept reminding him that he did not know these people, he didn't even know Sarada that much and he certainly was in no position to demand to be informed of anything in her life; he made sure to burry that voice deep inside his mind and go back to it at a later time. Maybe. Probably not.

The thick eyebrows guy spoke, "I'm Metal Lee", insolently interrupted his thoughts and intense staring. He seemed to be trying to break the tension.

"I'm Denki," a nervous sounding voice spoke after, "that guy is my boyfriend, Iwabee."

Iwabee's glare flattered slightly at Denki's words; it was not often that the shy boy introduced him as his boyfriend. Boruto's scowl disappeared completely as soon as he heard the word 'boyfriend'.

The blond blinked, staring at Iwabee's face over Sarada's head, "you're gay?"

The other boy crossed his arms over his chest, "what's it to ya?"

Boruto's surprise turned into an open grin, "that's awesome. I'm Boruto, nice to meet you."

He extended his hand, moving to avoid Sarada, as Iwabee uncrossed his arms, suspiciously looking at the offered hand and back at Boruto's bright blue eyes. What was up with this dude?

The blond reached for Iwabee's hand and shook it, earning a suspicious look. Their strange handshake was interrupted by the shriek of none other than Metal Lee, "YEEESH!"

"THAT'S MY SONG!" Metal Lee shouted at the top of his lungs as soon as 'gandam style' came on. His friends smiled helplessly as he pushed people out of the way to make space for his performance.

Boruto didn't need to think twice, abandoning the handshake and leaving his drink in Sarada's hands as he rushed to join the thick eyebrow guy, whatever his name was.

Boruto's dance skills, easy smile and sweet laugh seemed to be a knock out combination that had a delayed effect on Sarada's friends, all but Chocho who was still carefully pondering if this guy could be trusted.

Barely an hour had passed and the young men were all chatting like old friends, buying each other drinks and making up toasts.

The birthday girl stared at her friends and mumbled something about 'gullible idiots' to Sarada. The black haired girl smiled and pated Chocho's head "boys will be boys", she said before being offered a drink by Metal Lee and invited to join yet another random toast – this time celebrating good music, apparently.

Glasses clinked together for what felt like the tenth time that night, Metal Lee's drink half spilling on the floor. Sarada took a sip of her drink and turned to walk back to Chocho before she noticed her friend was not alone anymore.

"I think Chocho's replaced you," a voice called softly behind her.

Sarada turned to face Boruto, "if I had a penny for every time some guy decides to hit on Chocho…"

The blond raised a curious eyebrow, "what about every time someone hits on you?"

"I'm not as-" she stopped, considering her words carefully, "approachable… as Chocho is."

Chocho's new friend was a good-looking young guy who seemed to be trying hard to get her attention. Sarada smirked at her friend's superior look, "Chocho loves to play the diva with these guys."

Eventually, Chocho noticed them staring and waved them off. Sarada nodded with a knowing grin and pulled Boruto by the arm, "let's give them some privacy."

"Sure," the blond smiled, "anyway, I vaguely remember this really good looking girl inviting me to dance so – no better time than the present!"

Sarada stopped and had another sip of her drink, avoiding eye contact, "I don't really dance."

He was not surprised but did his best to act like it, "why not?"

"Let's say more like I _can't_ dance."

"I think you can do everything you put your mind into," he was in a few drinks in and that was pretty much the best come back he could come up with.

"Complementing my mind won't get me to dance," she started, and then raised her drink, "but two more of these might."

"That's the spirit!" Boruto rushed away to fill in the lady's request.

Three or four drinks later, Sarada was dancing like she never did before (probably because she never had that much to drink before). Boruto was half dancing, half stumbling, half singing... wait, were those too many halves? He couldn't really tell. All he knew was that for every drink he got for Sarada, he got himself two, in a failed attempt that it would push him to a burst of confidence and a consequential drunk confession. Now the floor was spinning funny and the colours around him had multiplied.

They were pretty much the last survivors of the night. Metal Lee was passed out drunk in a corner – Sarada, ever the motherly friend, had seen to him and made sure he was alive and breathing before Boruto dragged him to the corner where he couldn't be trampled by dancing strangers.

Denki and Iwabee had been slow dancing for the past two hours and by this stage no one was quite sure if they were awake or simply fell asleep standing.

Sarada was happy-not-quite-drunk and seemed to be much more aware of her surroundings than any of them were, including Boruto. She danced and her dress glittered; it was all very cinematic in Boruto's mind.

Eventually, the girl noticed the staring, "can you stop that?"

"Stop what?" Boruto feigned innocence.

"The staring," she answered. The blond tilted his head slightly to continue his clueless act but Sarada spotted it immediately and stopped dancing to give him a stern look, placing her hands on her hips. This did not have exactly the desired result as a drunk Boruto could not clearly define the lines of her body while she was moving and dancing, but standing still… she was a tempting sight.

"I'm just looking around to make sure you won't get harassed," he stated feebly, too busy studying her hips and oh-so-beautifully-defined legs.

She crossed her arms, "no one has harassed me, idiot."

He scoffed, "that you noticed." Boruto had dedicated half the night to both glare away any approaching males (and on two separate occasions, females) and ensure he remained close enough to discourage any other brave souls.

The longhaired girl pushed her hair back and looked away, "fine, just stop staring. It makes me…"

"Makes you what?" Boruto was genuinely curious. The girl blushed, avoiding eye contact. He grinned, "shy?"

Her eyes snapped back at him, "no! I'm not-"

Boruto ignored her anger, "aw, you're so adorable!"

"I am not adorable," Sarada tried to reiterate.

"Gimme a hug!" Boruto asked sweetly, opening his arms as Sarada edged back.

"Do not hug me," she warned in a low tone that Boruto could barely hear over the blaring music.

"I will!" He threatened in an overly sweet voice.

"No."

"Yes!"

"No," she warned, "I will bite you."

"Come here!"

Boruto wrapped his arms around her. Sarada wasn't much in favor of physical contact but damn Boruto and his sweet nature, amazing smell and argh... just damn him.

Sarada glared. Boruto cuddled her harder.

"Thought you were going to bite me- ouch, what the hell!" Boruto inched very slightly away from her only to notice the red lipstick clearly marking the skin in between his neck and shoulder.

"You bit me!" He exclaimed, still not letting go, "and you stained my shirt!"

She smiled triumphantly, "I warned you."

He pouted slightly, the girl rolled her eyes.

As she was wearing heels, Sarada was at perfect height for her lips to meet the offended spot. She leaned forward and delivered a light peck to the place she had previously bitten, "there, better?"

Boruto started in awe, then nodded fervently. Sarada laughed and pushed him away; she was only feeling this confident as she was absolutely sure he was too drunk to remember any of this in the morning.

* * *

Sarada woke up with a thudding headache. The world came into focus quickly as she sat up. Too quickly; she had obviously slept with her contacts still on. The girl sighed as the voice of her mom popped into her mind, 'you'll get a nasty eye infection' - whatever, she felt too exhausted for any of this. She looked down to check she had at least changed; her oversized shirt was on and last night's dress was thrown over her chair.

Sarada stood from the bed, looked in the mirror and checked her panda eyes from the makeup she clearly did not remove last night. She wiped it off, struggling to remember why she would have neglected all her night routine before getting into bed due to her painfully present headache.

The Uchiha walked to the living room, planning a nice, calmingly lazy day to recover, as she absent-mindedly combed her messy hair with her fingers. She looked around the room for Chocho (who she assumed was obviously to blame for this headache) but her friend was amiss. What she did spot, however, was a sleeping figure lying on her sofa; softly snoring, drooling and naked save for a ridiculously short pair of boxer shorts.

Sarada gapped at the sleeping blonde; what on earth was he doing there? Why were his clothes all over the place?

Her face suddenly went pink; was he naked because of her? Her features darkened; maybe because of Chocho?

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled, rubbing her face in a failed attempt to wake herself from whatever this was. Her eyes reopened and Boruto was still there, still mostly naked and still awkwardly sexy. God damn it.

Sarada dragged herself to the kitchen to get some tea. Tea would help her calm down, it always did.

It did help, slightly. Sarada held on to her tea as she headed back to the living room; her eyes trailed back to Boruto, studying his messy golden hair, then continued down to his innocent expression and onwards towards his muscled arms, fit torso and- hm, she wisely stopped herself just there.

Sarada looked away, embarrassed by her own thoughts. She rubbed her temple; this is not what she needed right girl struggled to fill in the gaps in her mind - she could vividly remember going out with her friends and Boruto, having a few drinks and then-

The blond squirmed slightly, probably sensing her eyes burning into him. She froze, what the hell was she meant to tell him once he woke up?

There was not much time to consider this as the Uzumaki's eyes slowly opened, revealing the piercing blue Sarada enjoyed so much.

"Good morning, sunshine," she spoke, hoping to all heavens that sounded confident and not at all like the pool of anxiety and confusion she felt like right now.

The young man gave her the sweetest smile, "good morning," he half slurred.

He rubbed his eyes slightly, pushed his hair out of his face and then shuddered; it felt a bit chilly. Boruto's eyes wandered downwards and Sarada could swear she had never seen anyone loose color so quickly.

"I'm naked," he stated plainly.

"It appears you are," she nodded.

"Any idea why?"

She shrugged, hiding a playful grin with her tea mug, "maybe you were feeling warm."

He nodded and sat frozen in place for a few seconds in silence. Sarada looked amazing - then again, when did she not. Her hair was loose and messy, giving her more a wilder look and less of its usual coiffed perfection; her makeup was mostly gone but still there enough to make her eyes darker, her lips were fuller than usual from just waking up and the oversized light grey shirt that hung slightly from her shoulder made her look blamelessly teasing.

He then stood in a rush, half stumbling to the bathroom as he dragged his clothes behind him. Sarada continued to hide her smile behind a well-positioned hand and walked to the kitchen to get breakfast ready. She had this nagging feeling that she had forgotten something about last night, something important...

"What the fuck?" Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Boruto's voice, shouting at the top of his lungs.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **A.N:** Sorry for the delay my lovely readers, 2018 had some unpredictable predicaments saved for me. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, see you soon ^^


	7. Irish Coffee

**The Barista**

 **Chapter 7 - Irish Coffee**

"What the fuck?" Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Boruto's voice, shouting at the top of his lungs. He came out of the bathroom with his shirt on but undone, a glaring red lipstick mark on the collar.

"What the- what is this?" He pointed at the mark on his shirt.

Sarada did her best to appear innocent and shrugged, taking a sip of her tea, "how am I supposed to know?"

Boruto blinked, "you have to know."

"Why?"

"Because I was with you the whole night. I wasn't anywhere near other girls."

Sarada cleared her throat, trying not to get caught in her lies as a vivid image of how that mark happen started to reappear in her mind.

"Well, you were very drunk. You can't possibly recall your whole night," she shrugged, "you were looking at many girls-"

"No. I wasn't," he interrupted.

"How can you possibly know that if you can't remember?"

'Because you were there and I can never take my eyes of you' was the first answer that came to his mind. Boruto considered just telling her this but then the wiser part of his mind reminded him there was no more Sarada if she even imagined exactly how interested he was in her and therefore decided against it.

"I was not looking at anyone else," he reiterated.

Sarada raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean anyone else?"

Shit. "I just remember dancing with you," he started, rubbing the back of his head and looking anywhere but at her, "and then we were drinking and you were adorable, I hugged you and-"

He stopped. Sarada gulped her tea down, whatever was left of it.

Boruto tilted his head slightly, recalling the events, "and you bit me."

Sarada shrugged, turning away from him to hide her blush, "I don't recall most of it myself, anyway."

Boruto pushed his hair back, his mind somewhere else, "you kissed me." It wasn't a question.

"I kissed your neck," Sarada rushed to defend herself. Boruto stared at her as if she had grown an extra head; it just made her blush harder.

She continued, struggling not to stutter, "I kissed your neck because you were being such a baby about the bite."

"Oh well, in that case," he started sarcastically, "it explains nothing," his hand instinctively covered the place he assumed to be the spot Sarada kissed last night. It was his favourite spot now and it should never be washed again. Ever.

The girl tried to change the subject, "Just give me your shirt, I'll clean it," Sarada motioned for Boruto to take off his shirt. He clung to it and started buttoning it back up.

"No way, it stays as it is."

"What, you're going to keep a red lipstick mark and wear to special occasions?" She added sarcastically, trying to hide her frustration

Boruto nodded vehemently with a mischievous smile, "it's my 'Sarada kissed my neck once shirt', I will wear it forever."

The girl blushed but her determination remained, "give it to me, Boruto."

"Nope," he stepped back, she followed.

Sarada stood on her toes to try and take his shirt off, pulling the collar down. Boruto couldn't help but laugh, "aren't you excited to get me naked."

Sarada was about to tell him to fuck off in the most polite way she could think of until the sound of an opening door interrupted her. The couple turned to find Chocho coming out of her room in a dressing gown, hair all over the place and eyes barely open. She stood with the most bored look on her face, staring at them.

Sarada let go immediately, "this is not what it looks like."

"Oh, really?" Chocho raised an elegant eyebrow, speaking in the most uninterested tone ever, "because it looks like you are trying to undress him."

Boruto smirked and glanced at black haired girl next to him. Sarada cleared her throat, "so yeah, I guess technically it is what it looks like but-"

"Never mind. I'm out." Chocho turned towards the exit and left the apartment, dressing gown on and all.

The blond stared, "so, this is a normal occurrence?"

Sarada shrugged, "she's a great drunk but has mean hangovers," she turned to Boruto with a frown, "now give me your shirt."

The blond laughed as he easily dodged her attempts to get to his clothes, "jeez, if you want to get me naked that much at least invite me out first."

She climbed on top of the couch to try and reach him, mumbling "keep dreaming."

He tutted like a disappointed grown up, "now, now. I want a proper date with a loving request, unfulfilled promises and some food bribes in the middle."

Sarada froze, then sighed, "you know what, keep the shirt."

He pouted, "come on, don't give up so easily," he then smirked, "if you don't want to take me out, you can always let me kiss you."

She raised a curious eyebrow, ignoring the not so terrible tingly feeling in her belly, "and why on earth would I let you kiss me?"

"It's only fair, you kissed me so now you owe me a kiss," he shrugged timidly.

She laughed. "That makes no sense. I kissed _you_ so _you_ should owe _me_ a kiss."

Boruto nodded in agreement, "yes, that sounds reasonable, I owe you a kiss then."

Sarada blinked in confusion; did he just trick her into telling him to kiss her? Was the lack of sleep and alcohol affecting her to the point where she did not see this coming?

The blond just stood there, looking at her with the most disgustingly smug look on his face. Idiot.

Sarada crossed her arms over her chest, "what are you doing here anyway?"

He shrugged, "I just woke up on your sofa, I've got no idea."

The dark haired girl stood in silence for a second before grabbing her phone and quickly texting the best drunk she knew, Chocho. It took her about ten seconds to get a response from her best friend:

 _SARADA: Chocho, what happened last night? Why is Boruto here?_

 _CHOCHO: Dunno. When I came home you were having hot steamy sex on the floor; I just stepped over you and went to bed._

Sarada's face lost all colour. Boruto tilted his head slightly, "any ideas?"

 _SARADA: THAT'S NOT FUNNY. WTH HAPPENED?_

 _CHOCHO: LMFAO. Calm down, you dragged him home so you could get rid of the mark on the shirt. You told him to undress, he passed out on the sofa & then you just mumbled something about who cares and went to bed. _

The longhaired girl took a deep breath. Before Boruto could open his mouth he was dragged out the apartment and had the door slammed on his face. This girl was way too strong for his own damn good.

* * *

Wasabi looked at the clock impatiently, mumbled something under her breath and angrily restocked the sugar, slamming each packet into the box.

Sumire chuckled, "he's not going to come any faster no matter how much aggression you show that sugar."

"He's late."

"You couldn't possibly know that, he never arrives at the same time."

Wasabi gave her half a nod, showing she agreed but wasn't particularly impressed by the truth. This all could be avoided if Sarada fucking Uchiha simply told her what happened Friday. Something must have happened because she can't remember the last time she had seen Sarada so nervous. The girl didn't let it show, she was an Uchiha no matter what and if her dad's family was good at something was resting bitch face. But Sarada was rarely like that, she rarely looked unapproachable, you'd could feel her warmth and kindness just from her eyes - a trait she shared with her uncle Itachi and no other living Uchiha, according to the dark haired girl herself. Wasabi could not deny Sarada was still the last person you'd like to anger; she was protective, feisty and stubborn.

This was not Sarada. The girl that came in to work with her head in the clouds, took about two wrong orders and nearly broke a glass was not her friend. Her friend is flawlessly competent; this was truly out of character.

So Wasabi watched her and Sarada watched the door and grew more restless; it was then Wasabi slapped her forehead and cursed herself for not knowing what this was about: Boruto. If you have a hyperactive, slightly out of herself Sarada, who else could possibly be to blame?

Wasabi shared her theory with Sumire, who covered her surprised laugh shyly, warning her to leave their mutual friend alone. That left her with no option but wait for the blond to come in so she could get all the details - and she was hoping for _dirty_ details - of whatever happened that led to this mess of a Sarada.

She didn't have to wait long before the blond came in with his characteristic grin looking wider than usual and a certain mischievous tinkle to his eyes. Wasabi pushed all the sugar packs she was arranging before to the floor innocently, like a cat pushing random items off tables.

"Ups," the girl added dramatically as she dragged Sumire to the floor to help her tidy up.

Sumire gave her a slightly judging look but said nothing. She was playing the grownup but Wasabi knew full well she would do exactly the same just to watch this live soap opera unfold; Sumire did love her romances.

Sarada had seen Boruto come in and had instinctively stepped back from the cashier. She then realized her so-called friends dropped a months worth of pack of sugars on the floor; something that she had never seen happen before and that looked strangely coincidental.

Sarada glared at Wasabi that shrugged with the most innocent look she could muster and then pointed at Boruto, who was waiting patiently to make his order.

The dark haired girl sighed quietly and prayed to the gods he wouldn't bring anything unprofessional up. Her eyes met his and he smirked, fully aware of her concerns, and fully prepared to annoy her.

"I will have a caramel latte, one of those muffins and oh- that kiss you owe me."

Sarada eye was visibly twitching as she struggled to regain control of herself and fight back the urge to punch him in the throat.

Whatever packs of sugar Wasabi had returned to the table fell back on the floor as Sumire's head snapped up so fast she knocked the table.

Sarada tried her best to look impassive, "I don't recall owing you anything."

Boruto's eyebrows raised perfectly, "oh, is that so?" He turned to the other two girls, "should I tell you about how Sarada kiss-"

His words were stopped abruptly as Sarada slammed her hand over his mouth. He mumbled something unintelligible and her hand went down to his collar where she guided (i.e.: dragged) him to the small door and to behind the counter. She then informed her colleagues dryly to cover for her absence and opened the door to the back where they kept the stores.

The girl was unsurprisingly strong; Boruto was already struggling slightly to breathe properly by the stage they got to the back and she finally let go of his collar.

He cleared his throat, straightening his shirt, "this seems... unnecessary."

Sarada had her arms crossed over her chest and her face was flaming red. If from embarrassment or anger, the blond couldn't tell. Likely both.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She spoke through gritted teeth. Yesh, she was scary. Boruto rubbed the back of his head, maybe this was not as good of an approach as he thought.

"I think it's not fair that you get to kiss me but not the other way around."

The girl avoided eye contact, "I was drunk and it was reckless."

"You were tipsy and it was fun," Boruto corrected with a comforting smile.

She glanced at him and shook her head, walking past him to unpack some boxes.

"What do you want, Boruto?" She continued unpacking to not have to face him, "an apology?"

Try the exact opposite. The blond shrugged and started reconsidering if this was the best approach; Sarada did not seem to do well with confrontation at all and the prospect of getting beaten up by a martial arts expert did not feel great.

As he did not speak, she continued, "If a kiss is going to keep you quiet and away then fine," she smirked, preparing to add 'you can kiss my ass' as she turned around.

What Sarada failed to consider was the fact that Boruto's brain does not do well under stress and quickly went into emergency mode as soon as she said 'fine'. As such, the blond took this as permission to lean over and kiss her neck in the same spot she had kissed his.

The combination of Boruto's leaning in and Sarada turning around to tease him resulted in their current predicament.

They stood closer than ever, eyes locked, their breaths mingling and lips almost touching. Nor Boruto or Sarada knew exactly what happened next; it was hard to tell which one leaned in first, which one made no effort to move away. Two things, however, were certain: that it was too late to come back now and that neither of them was prepared for it.

It was a light brush of lips, a kiss that barely dared to be called so. It all happened in slow motion; Boruto never imagined such a delicate, phantom touch could feel so intense and real. He could feel her, he could smell her, he could feel her drawing closer; his eyes closed and he knew, like some sort of sixth sense, that Sarada's did the same.

"Guys?" A hesitant voice could be heard on the other side of the door.

They parted almost instantly, eyes snapping open and staring at the door.

"Just checking you haven't murdered him, Sarada, heh," Wasabi laughed with hesitance, as if she was afraid the answer would be 'shut up and help me clean the blood'.

 _To be continued..._


End file.
